▪️ A bone is a living tissue that makes up the body's skeleton. It is made up of three tissues which help it to have a complete structure and do its function well. Bones are usually grouped according to their shape, for example, femur is one of the longest, ulna is short, hip bone is irregularly shaped etc.

💡 The human body has 206 bones!!! The smallest bones are found inside the ear - they are three very tiny bones called malleus, incus and stapes, collectively known as ossicles.

📌 Function of the Bone

▪️ Offers support and shape for the body

▪️ Offers protection for some organs eg the heart and lungs

▪️ Acts as a storage site for minerals

▪️ Acts as a medium for the development and storage of blood cells i.e. bone marrow

📌 Types of Bone Cells include:

Osteoblast - It is responsible for formation of new bone tissue.

Osteocyte - It is responsible for maintaining the bone as a living tissue.

Osteoclast- It is responsible for absorbing and removing unwanted tissues.

Hematopoietic - It is responsible for red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets formation.

📍 It is important to note that while a tendon connects bone to muscle, a ligament is the fibrous tissue that connects bone to bone and serves to hold the structures together by keeping them stable. In addition, some joints have synovial membrane which produces synovial fluid that lubricates the joints.

It is very possible to find wear and tear in the ligament i.e. the joint area of patients with arthritis. Having acquired an understanding of the bone anatomy, we'll go into another section involving Bone Diseases. Particularly, a focus is given to Arthritis. We want to dig deep on this disease and understand its occurrence in the human body.

Arthritis

▪️ Arthritis refers to the swelling of one or more joints of the body that causes joint pain and stiffness.

Arthritis causes inflammation and much pain on the joints areas hence making it difficult to move or perform other activities well. Arthritis is genetic or it may develop during one's lifetime.

This disease proves to be a real nag in the life of patients due to the pain and immobility that accompanies it hence making people to be literally ' stuck' and unable to run everyday errands.

📍 It is common on knees, hips, hands, feet and lower back. It's symptoms include pain, stiffness, swelling, redness and tenderness.

📌 The Different Types of Arthritis include:

Rheumatoid - This condition causes the immune system to attack synovial membranes in the joints.

Psoriatic - This condition causes joint inflammation in people with psoriasis.

Gout - This condition causes hard crystals of uric acid to form in the joints.

Ankylosing spondylitis - This is arthritis of the spine i.e. lower back.

Juvenile - This happens when there's an autoimmune attack on the tissue around the joints.

Osteoarthritis - The most common type, affects the cartilage, which cushions the end of the bones. This type involves wear and tear damage to the joint's cartilage. When bone grinds directly to another bone without the cartilage, it causes so much pain, friction and restricted movement. The muscles surrounding also become affected hence the inflamed and swollen legs and feet in the patients.

💡 According to statistics age is one of the major risk factors in getting this disease, as you get older the higher the chances of getting it. Other risk factors include lifestyle and body weight.

▪️ Moreover, the common contributing factor to this condition is dairy milk intake. This is because the lactic acid in milk tends to accumulate in the blood, and once it accesses the fluids in the joint, it contributes to eating up the cartilages covering the bones. All acidic foods should be a no go zone for arthritic patients.

📍 Management Hacks

Arthritis may have different causes, like being genetically acquired, but its critical that we reduce at all costs the contributing factors of wear and tear in the cartilage.

💡 There's a myth that arthritic patients should not walk for long cause they'll feel pain ... That's completely false!

The best way to help such a patient is to make them to be as proactive as possible. This helps in preventing the joints from permanently sticking on each other. Take them for walks, do light exercises, stretch always, massage the areas for unrestricted blood flow, and allow them to get our of their comfort zones.

💡 Get Enough Sunlight!☀️☀️

Synthesis of Vitamin D facilitates calcium absorption and rebuilding of the bone tissue.

💡 Essential oils help to reduce pain in the swollen and inflamed muscles surrounding the area. They bring relaxation and induce circulation.

💡 Epsom salt also comes in handy in footbaths to help the patients too. Plant based milk is advised to all the patients.

💡 Foods rich in bone formation constituents should be embraced. This include milk, Broccoli, Tofu, Nuts, Black beans, Chia & Flax seeds, Bone broth, Turmeric, Ginger etc.

📌 Take-Away:- Why is Arthritis more common and prevalent in women compared to men???

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